


Married With Children

by OnTheWrongSideOfTheBed



Category: Oasis (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Bachelor, M/M, bachelor!noel, don't question the title it's funny to me, read the notes I guess there's a little explanation for this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:00:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27409975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnTheWrongSideOfTheBed/pseuds/OnTheWrongSideOfTheBed
Summary: Noel is the bachelor, Liam turns up as one of the contestants.
Relationships: Liam Gallagher/Noel Gallagher, Noel Gallagher/Original Male Characters
Comments: 26
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously the premise of this is very crack fic like, so just pretend with me that the bachelor is sort of omnipotent on his show and can do whatever the fuck he pleases, including letting his brother stay under the flimsy pretense of not really trying to be incestuous with him. To be honest, the idea of that really cracks me up and might be my favourite thing about this. 
> 
> Also, obviously the premise of this is just a tiny little bit out of character at least for Noel, so we'll have to deal with that, too.
> 
> This is based on what I know from watching the German version of The Bachelor, so if there are weird things that don't happen on the British version I apologise, but I'm not going to also watch another country's crap TV just for this. 
> 
> I think that's about all of the introduction this requires, so I'm going to shut up about this now

It’s a right fucking laugh until _he_ comes out of the car.  
  
Noel’s got a ridiculously expensive suit on and even more ridiculously expensive shoes and his hands are awkwardly clasped in front of his crotch like a right gentleman, like _the bachelor_ and if he’s honest, he really fucking likes it. Saying _hi, how are you?_ and _yeah, you’re looking great, too_ and _go on, get yourself a drink, I’ll be with you shortly_ to a bunch of gorgeous men that let their eyes cling to him a bit too long and shake his hand with too smooth fingers is really nice, he can admit that. And he’s really looking forward to each new car that rolls around the corner to bring him two or three more thirsty-eyed men.  
  
But then of course like somehow with every good thing in his life _he_ has to barge in and ruin all of Noel’s fun. Liam jumps headfirst out of the car, and immediately the movements of his suit-clad body are strangely familiar to Noel and for the first second he isn’t even really surprised when he sees Liam’s face finally looking up with a determined look in his eyes. Liam doesn’t seem to get it until he’s halfway there, Noel can see the exact moment when he realises it in the half second where his body freezes before a scary grin breaks out on his face and he makes the rest of his way over to Noel a little faster.  
  
Noel’s body goes stiff when Liam reaches him. His hands have left each other alone, now awkwardly fidgeting by his sides and he gives Liam an incredulous look. “Nice to meet you”, Liam says like Noel hasn’t already met him headfirst 23 years ago. Noel coughs and swallows around a few possibilities, one worse than the other. He’s not going to hit Liam, he also isn’t going to pretend he doesn’t know Liam, and he isn’t going to kiss the air next to Liam’s cheeks like he got used to doing with the other contestants.  
  
“Liam”, he says with a dry throat, “what are you doing here?” He carefully doesn’t swear. He’s the bachelor after all, and he can try to behave accordingly for at least a little while, even when he’s confronted with his own brother as a potential love interest. _Not_ a potential love interest, his brain quickly corrects, and Noel raises a dangerous eyebrow at Liam. Liam is grinning at him, apparently unbothered by the idea of being on TV to try to win his big brother’s love.  
  
“I’m here to fuck the bachelor”, he says and laughs crudely before he abruptly stops and turns on his charm. “I’m here to find love”, he says and winks at Noel like he’s forgotten that his chance of finding love went out the window as soon as he found not some random idiot with a too intense self-tan standing in the entrance of the villa but Noel.  
  
“Okay”, Noel says slowly, trying to give his brain a little more time to come up with a plan. “You’re not going to, though”, he says, “you do realise _I_ am the bachelor, right?” He stares at Liam, trying to make his eyes as blank as possible while also trying to detect some of Liam’s thoughts that could give him a little clue about how Liam wants to progress. For once, he doesn’t catch any, though, and so he keeps himself from rolling his eyes and says as neutrally and unaffectedly as possible, “well, go inside, get a drink - _one_ drink, right, I’m not having you being sick all over the roses or something.” Liam tilts his head to the side like he agrees but Noel’s still wary, especially when Liam leans in and presses a wet kiss to his cheek, a really wrong imitation of the artful air kisses half the men before him gave Noel, before he brushes past him, gently, his shoulder soft against Noel’s, and marches inside the villa.  
  
Noel doesn’t remember much of the men that come after him, although there are a few that make his breath hitch a little when they lightly put their hand on his shoulder in this half-hug or brush their cheeks along the spot where Liam pressed his lips to. He’s glad when the last car drives away and he can go inside to get himself a little alcohol before continuing to look at the sea of new faces with that one uncomfortably well-known inside.  
  
_Noel’s eyes are fixed on the camera. “Yeah, that’s Liam, my brother”, he says and smiles a smile that’s usually reserved for cashiers with a little too much eager interest in why he’s buying the tomatoes. “I don’t know what he’s doing here, didn’t know he was looking for love at all”, he continues, “he’s free to look for the love of his life, though, d’you know what I mean? I’m not going to stop him.” He shakes his head. "What do I know what’s going on in his head. I don’t know if he’s serious or just in it for the free booze.” His eyebrows draw together sharply before his face relaxes into a grin. "What, ‘cause he’s my brother? Don’t know what he thinks of that. I’m just taking it as it comes, me.” He leans forward, smirking, then draws back, a little irritatedly. "Fu- I’m not implying anything, mate. I’m just trying to find the love of my life, don’t know about my brother.”  
  
_Inside, the men are drinking, chatting and then looking up and becoming quiet upon Noel’s entry. Every man, except for Liam. He laughs loudly and claps his hand on the back of the man next to him and only looks up at Noel after a few moments of nervous, uncomfortable glances at him. “Thank you all for being here, I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you”, Noel begins his little speech, deciding to ignore Liam for the time being. He raises his glass, maybe he can also get away with just giving a little toast. “To a great night and good conversations!” That really should be enough, he decides and indicates the end of his speaking time by swallowing down about half of his drink.  
  
The atmosphere becomes looser again and the men pick up their chatting and laughing and soon Noel is surrounded by a flattering amount of people who want to have a seperate chat with him. He agrees to go over to a more private bench in the garden with one man who reintroduces himself as Tom when Noel tells him that frankly he remembered about two names in total and one of them was his brother’s.  
  
“Yeah, about that”, Tom says and looks at Noel a little weirdly, “did he not know you were going to be the bachelor?” Noel gives him a look back and shakes his head, “didn’t think he’d want to know, our kid. Didn’t know he was into that kind of thing.” It doesn’t seem to be a completely satisfying answer for Tom, he laughs a little in this charming way where he tilts his head to the side a bit, and then follows up, “so he’s just going to have a bit of fun tonight and then go home? Must be a little disappointed, the poor guy.”  
  
Noel laughs with him, then shrugs and answers, “might be, who knows. Hope you’re not disappointed, though.” They talk a little about how good-looking Noel is and how Tom’s aunt grew up in poverty before the next bloke comes to ask Noel to another separate talk. He sends Tom off with the promise to drink another champagne with him later and takes in the next dark blue suit whose name he learns is David. He talks the same little things with David, learns about his mostly happy childhood, then about John’s and Harry’s and he’s a little tipsy by the time Liam lands next to him on the bench.  
  
Liam’s more than a little tipsy and he leans into Noel with his entire body weight in stark contrast to the fleetingly light touches of the other men’s hands smooothly brushing over Noel’s thigh or arm before returning back into the gesture they went astray from. “So what’re you doing here?”, Noel asks and shuffles away from him a bit, but Liam just goes with him, sinking deeper against Noel’s shoulder. “‘M just here, aren’t I? Not doing anything”, he says and it’s really not what Noel was asking, but he nods. “That much of a fan of roses, are you?”, he says and laughs with blinking eyes. Maybe he’s gotten a bit too deep into the bachelor mode.  
  
There are a handful more men waiting, impatiently sending glances over, their legs getting restless, but Liam doesn’t make a move to leave. “D’you like any of them?”, he asks in a tone of voice Noel doesn’t quite know how to place. He shrugs noncommittally. “Why d’you want to know?”, he asks back and receives a blank stare in response. Liam presses his face into his arm for a few seconds before he gets up and drunken-swaggers away in the direction of more alcohol, leaving Noel’s side free for more men to give him clever glances and not lean into his side.  
  
Noel talks to the rest of the men before he announces that it’s now time for him to go and make his decision. He quickly lets his eyes wander over the men one last time, stopping on a few faces, stumbling over Liam’s, then turns around and goes up the stairs to look at the portraits of the men and ponder on whom to send home after only knowing them for about five minutes. Or 23 years. Liam’s picture weighs heavy in his hand and the photo of Jackson he replaces it with is almost too light to stay there and not just float away.  
  
He pulls at his jacket as he comes down the stairs again and finds the men lined up waiting for him. He finds his mark by the vase with the roses and puts on a friendly, but appropriately serious smile. He says a few things about the great evening and the interesting conversations and then picks up the first rose, feeling the men’s expectant eyes boring into him. The rose feels cold between his fingers and he spends a few seconds worrying about thorns before he remembers that they’ve probably been cut off.  
  
He twirls the rose in his hands and finally begins to speak again after the appropriate amount of anticipation-building has passed. There’s something about feeling an instant connection and having a good talk he says before he hands the first rose to Martin, a really pretty guy who seems to still be in possession of a few brain cells. Martin smiles at him genuinely happily when he touches Noel’s arm and lets his cheek brush against his as he kisses the air next to Noel’s ears and Noel has a tingling feeling in his fingers when he picks up the next rose.  
  
The excited tingling keeps spreading further through his body while he calls up man after man, giving out compliments and hopeful hugs and too soon there are only four people left without a rose and only one rose left in the vase next to Noel. He knows whom he really wants gone, can’t wait to bid the weird creepy guy with the dead fish eyes farewell, but the other three blokes are a hard decision. But, like, he’s already made up his mind, right? He clears his throat, stands up straighter before slumping a bit again and finally picks up the last rose.  
  
“The last rose is for a man who surprised me tonight”, he starts and almost grins a little too much. His eyes find the bloke’s face and lock together with his eyes and for a moment Noel thinks the poor assistant responsible for the roses has missed a thorn when he takes in the guy’s confident grin and his little dimples. “Liam”, he says, “if you want, you can have the rose.” He holds his breath unconsciously and his eyes drag over to the other three men kind of incredulously staring at him. He just so stops himself from shrugging at them, and looks back at Liam who’s standing in front of him now and reaching for the rose, grabbing it from Noel’s hand before he can even make a move to hand it to him.  
  
“Took your fucking time”, Liam says and twists the rose around in his big hands to greedily look at it from different angles. “But thanks, yeah?”, he adds a lot more quietly and almost shyly and that feels like a bit too much. “Whatever”, Noel says and takes a step back from him. Liam looks up at him from his rose and before Noel can flee further from him, he follows him with two steps and kisses Noel’s cheek again, just shortly, shorter than he’d done outside when he arrived, but maybe it’s a little wetter now, because something about it certainly feels even more intense than before.  
  
When Liam’s gotten back in line with the other men Noel exchanges more air kisses with the three men he’s very sad to send home, fish-eye and Tom and the other guy whose name Noel has already forgotten again. They give him a few weird glances and Tom mumbles something that Noel can’t quite make out but sounds a little rude, and he chuckles a bit to himself as he watches them go out and turns back around to the men lucky enough to have received a rose. He grabs a new glass of champagne and toasts to them, and with loud cheers and a few lascivious glances he downs all of it before he waves and blows a few maybe a little tipsy kisses and finally leaves to get driven off to his own villa.  
  
_Liam’s rose is looking a little rumpled in his hands, he’s still fiddling with it, rolling the stem around between his fingers and tugging at the petals a bit while his eyes flit from the camera to the rose and back. “I don’t know”, he says, “not my head, is it? If he wants to give me a rose, I’m going to take it, right? ‘m not going to say no, why would I do that?” He smiles down at the rose before moving his features into a little scowl. “He can do what he wants, right, and I’m going to do what I want, and I’ve taken the fucking rose and I’m going to keep it if you’re not going to rip it out of my fucking hands”, he explains and slaps the rose against his thigh repeatedly before stopping abruptly and gently cradling it in his hands. “Fuck off”, he says softly, “all I know is I got meself a rose and am going to get pissed with the champagne now, so I’m going to leave, alright?”  
  
“It’s a little weird”, David says and raises his eyebrows at the camera in a sort of helpless way, “maybe Noel likes having him here for moral support, might be nice to have your brother with you when you’re away from home for so long and trying to find the love of your life.” He shrugs and smiles at his rose. “I’ve got one of these, though, so I’m happy. He’s really handsome and I think we had a really good connection.” His eyes stray from the camera for a moment before he looks back up with a bright smile that shows off his white teeth. “I’m just happy to be here and looking forward to getting to know Noel a bit more.”  
  
Noel keeps pulling at his jacket, tugging at his sleeves and rubbing off invisible dirt before he looks up at the camera. “Yeah, I’m really excited about getting to know the men better. They’re really nice blokes and not too bad-looking either, so I’m looking forward to meeting them again on some dates.” He smiles and rubs two fingers over his lips, seemingly in deep thought all of a sudden. “I let him stay, I guess…”, he trails off, stares at the camera with lowly drawn together eyebrows for a couple of moments, and continues, “it just felt like the right thing to do then. I can’t really explain it. Doesn’t really matter, though, does it?” He keeps staring blankly at the camera for a few more moments before he shakes his head a bit, wipes away his previous comments and concludes, “I think it’s going to be a great time for all of us, me looking for the love of my life.” _


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got a little longer than expected, but I'm so into this concept and take it way too seriously, so it's not like I could've been stopped I guess

“Oi”, Noel says on the screen of the iPad Lucas is holding up for the men grouped around him to see, “hope you had a good first night and are enjoying your villa. Today I’d like to invite a few of you on the first group date. We’re going down to the beach so dress for that and put a little suncream on. I’ll be waiting there for you, Harry, Martin, Lucas, John, Chris, David and George.” Cheers and excited laughter mixed with a little disappointed mumbling here and there erupt after Noel winks at the camera and the screen goes black again.  
  
Chris and David chase each other up the stairs to get ready, get dressed and do their hair, while Harry and George go over to the kitchen to get a snack before getting ready. John follows them when he sees them taking pizza out of the fridge, and they sit at the kitchen island and start giggling together while flicking a few olives between them. Lucas puts the iPad away and slowly goes up, too, with a few others in tow while talking animatedly about which hair product might be best to mix with salt water. Martin stays behind and absentmindedly picks at his shirt, then his trousers and stares at the flowers on the table. He almost looks like he’s meditating, calm and silent, until Liam plops down next to him on the sofa.  
  
“Alright, mate?”, Liam asks and nudges his shoulder against him. “Not that excited about meeting our kid again?” He raises his eyebrows at Martin and fidgets around until he’s in a position that seems to be comfortable to him, his thigh pressed up closely with Martin’s. Martin looks up from the flowers and stops his fingers from picking little hairs from his jeans. “No, I’m quite happy that Noel wants to see me again.” He talks slowly and unhurriedly, then smiles and looks up at Liam, “you know, I’m just thinking about what to wear.”  
  
Liam’s eyes seem to become a little more intense on Martin at the mention of his brother’s name, but he twists around on the sofa so he sits facing Martin properly. “It’s the fucking beach, what are you thinking about? Want to go for a swim in a suit or what?”, he asks, tone rough, but there’s genuine interest on his face. Martin’s smile turns into a grin as he answers him, “no, I’m just not sure if I should go in my bikini, right?”  
  
Liam’s eyes seem to bulge out of his face for a moment, “what? You want to turn up in a bikini?” His upper body is leaning in closer and closer to Martin like the incredibility of his statement is magnetic. He jerks back when Martin laughs and shakes his head, “mate, I’m just taking the piss. I don’t have a bikini.”  
  
Liam’s mouth breaks out in a wide grin, his eyes sparkling suddenly. “Shame, mate. Bet our kid would’ve fucking loved that”, he says and conspiratorally elbows Martin. “Imagine that, you going up to him in a fucking pink bikini, would’ve lost his mind, Noel.”  
  
Martin raises his eyebrows at him like he’s surprised and then grins back at Liam. “Yeah? You know that for a fact?”, he says, but then waves his words away and continues when Liam gives him what looks like the beginning of a somewhat intimidating scowl, “would you come up with me and help me pick out a pair of swimming trunks? I could use a little help.” He looks at Liam expectantly and when Liam nods and mumbles something about _sure, ‘m the fucking fashion expert ‘round here anyway_ gets up, extends his hand and pulls Liam up from the sofa with it. Together, they walk upstairs, points about colour and cuts being made between them.

\---

Noel is standing on a blanket on the beach together with baskets full of fruit and alcohol and other chic picnic accessories. He was supposed to sit down, or rather lie, spread out a little and show off some skin, but no thank you, he isn’t a fucking mermaid, he’s going to stand and greet the men properly. He thinks he’s done enough picking out swimming trunks that show off just a little more than the beginning of his thighs. And the men seem to think so, too, when they finally arrive and say hi with long, deep glances over his body and a bit more drawn out hugs and air kisses.  
  
“Alright then”, Noel begins after he’s taken in the last of the half-naked bodies shining in the sun. “Good to see you all again. I thought we’d just have a day on the beach and get to know each other a bit more - and pissed.” He raises his glass that he’s filled nearly to the brim with the liquor the show has an advertising contract with this season and toasts to the others that have followed his example. He downs about half of it before he remembers that he can’t even swim sober and he’ll have to get at least a little wet today, so he puts it away, and then they’re all going down to the sea and inside and soon Noel finds himself splashing water over at Harry and Lucas and getting almost drowned with the sudden weight on his back that seems to be George. He knew being the bachelor would come with giving up a lot of personal boundaries and right now Noel finds that he doesn’t really mind anyway, he’s had worse things happen to him than a half-naked man he only knows by his first name draped all over his back.  
  
Soon it’s even more splashing and bodies bumping and leaning and swaying into each other, naked skin warmly pressing together in the relatively cold water, and Noel really likes the way they all seem to drift over to him again and again, even against the current of the waves. It’s a lot of fun and he even learns a bit about how they work as people, with Lucas and John a bit more on the vicious side dunking heads left and right and Harry and Chris and David with a lot of boyish excitement, which is really fucking cute, and George who’s a little bland and doesn’t really do much after Noel is over his almost sculpted-like muscles digging into his back.  
  
And then there’s Martin. Who looks really fit in his black swimming trunks that aren’t even that tight and short, but still enough to give Noel a well appreciated impression of his thighs. He isn’t too forward and Noel’s a little preoccupied with not letting John drown him, but he’s there in Noel’s peripheral vision most of the time and he feels comfortably warm when Noel gets bumped into him by a wave, and his eyes are kind and pretty when he laughs and steadies him. Maybe Noel should have a talk with him. God, he loves being the bachelor.  
  
They slowly drift back to the picnic blanket after a while and start to drink a little more and talk a little more, and Noel’s almost a little sad when the time comes for him to announce whom he’d like to have dinner with on this really pretty boat that’s about to pick him and his date up. He swallows down the last bit of his drink, looks around and says, “alright, this was a lot of fun today, thank you for joining me here. One of you is going to have dinner with me now if he likes to, and the rest of you I’ll see in the next few days.” He lets them say their little responses and then turns to Martin. “Martin, d’you want to join me for dinner?”, he asks and points to the little pier where the boat is waiting. Martin smiles brightly and nods, “of course, I’d love to.” And then they’re saying their goodbyes and keep waving at the others as they get led somewhere they can change into something more appropriate for a fancy boat-dinner.  
  
Dressed in light suits they make their way over to the boat. Their arms and hands keep brushing together and it distracts Noel a little from their conversation, but he still manages to gather that Martin really seems like a nice, decent bloke that actually isn’t braindead to make up for his good looks. On the boat they sit at a pretty table all done up with flowers and fancy bread and wine, and continue their rather lovely conversation over their food.  
  
“So”, Noel says between two sips of wine, “how’s Liam doing in the villa? Someone already done the deed and killed him?” He takes another bite of his pasta before he glances at Martin quickly and pours them both a little more wine. Martin laughs and answers, “he’s alright, I like him. Helped me pick out my swimming trunks today.” He winks at Noel like that’s some kind of pick up line or innuendo and Noel raises his eyebrows at him. “He thinks he’s some kind of fashion guru, shouldn’t listen too much to him. He’s out of his mind, the fucker”, he says and isn’t quite sure what tone to go for. It’s somewhere on the spectrum between joking and sincere and it seems to work for Martin.  
  
“Well”, he says, “you did seem to enjoy them. Can’t have been that wrong then, can he?” He gives Noel a look that would’ve made a slightly weaker man blush and then turns a little more serious. “Are you two close?”, he asks and Noel doesn’t hear much of a hidden agenda, more genuinely interested curiosity, and that feels alright. “In a way, I suppose”, he says and looks over at Martin. “Not like we talk everyday, right, otherwise he’d have known about this”, he gestures over the elegantly decorated boat and Martin and chuckles lightly, “but I know him, and he thinks he knows me, so I assume you could call that close.”  
  
Martin smiles at him and nods and tells Noel about his own brother and sister and looks a little surprised when Noel tells him that he’s also got another brother. “So he’s not here for the family gathering then?”, he asks.  
  
“No, I would’ve told him to fuck right off, wouldn’t I?”, Noel says and grins satisfied with himself. Martin throws him a weird glance and a little nervous ripple goes through his smile before he goes back to normal. “That seems fair”, he says and takes a big swig of his wine. They talk some more about family and their hometowns and soon it’s time for Martin to go back to the villa. He hugs Noel close and presses a soft kiss to his cheek that lingers there even after he’s pulled away and stepped back a bit.  
  
“Goodnight, Noel”, he says and Noel really likes the sound of his voice. “Goodnight”, he answers, “get back safe.” Noel looks after him as he walks down the pier steady like he hasn’t been drinking on a boat for the last few hours and Noel has to think of the time Liam threw up on the ferry over to Ireland and then demanded Noel carry him when they got off it and Liam found the ground was still waves. He goes back to the table to down the rest of his wine and then also Martin’s and then he’s the one swaying around, although probably still not as much as Liam did.  
  
\---  
  
Back in the villa Martin is greeted by a pack of yelling and cheering men curiously asking questions and demanding answers. He explains with the appropriate amount of detail what happened after the other men left and when finally satisfied with his answers the crowd disperses, only Liam is left standing in the hallway and staring at him. “How was your…”, Martin begins as he goes over to him but is interrupted by Liam. “So”, he says and keeps staring intently at Martin, “he wanted dinner with you then.” Martin’s shoulders tense a little, but he nods and then easily shrugs out of it and smiles at Liam with a little conspiratorial look on his face, “yeah, he seemed to like the swimming trunks.” Liam makes a little sound like he can’t decide what to say, then finally grins back widely and says, “I knew it, I’m the fucking fashion guru!”  
  
He wraps his arm around Martin’s shoulders and leads him inside the living room where they join the others. For the rest of the evening Liam and loud laughter and big gestures jump from group to group, but almost dutifully he keeps returning to Martin’s little group tucked away in the sitting area by the windows and sits next to him for a while, bumping their shoulders and knees together.  
  
_Noel looks up at the camera and blinks once, twice, smacks his lips. “It was nice, right? Didn’t drown, boat didn’t sink, I’m happy.” He takes a moment to stare to the side, then cleverly tilts his head towards the camera. “Martin’s a decent bloke, really funny and dead fit, a fucking great time. Don’t even mind he let our kid pick out his swimming trunks.” A small smile tugs the corners of his mouth up a bit before he switches to a big grin. “Yeah, I’d definitely take him on a date again.”  
  
Martin smiles, his teeth blinking almost blindingly white at the camera. “I’m really happy Noel wanted me to join him for the dinner date. It was really lovely, he’s great to talk to and after seeing him on the beach… I’ll say I wouldn’t mind seeing that again.” He grins a bit to himself, then squints at someone behind the camera. “Oh yeah, I’m mates with Liam. He told me Noel would be into the swimming trunks, guess he was right.” He clicks his tongue, shrugs, then says, “I don’t know what exactly they’re doing, but I’m glad to have Liam as my mate, and Noel’s a real catch. I hope he’ll give me a rose so I can get to know him better.”  
  
Liam bounces his leg, then stops, then starts back up. “Nah, I’m not mad he didn’t pick me”, he says, “I’m a little pissed I didn’t get to go to the beach, but the pool here’s proper big, so it doesn’t really matter, I suppose.” He looks down for a couple of moments, then back up again. “And like, he already knows me. Doesn’t know the others, yet, so he’ll have to figure them out first before he’s going to talk to me again, right?” He scrunches his brows together and leans forward closer to the camera and back again, making his chair creak. “I think he deserves it, Martin. He’s a proper dude, I like him.”  
  
_\---  
  
Noel looks at his watch. They should’ve been here three minutes ago. Maybe it’s the heat slowing down the wheels of the car or something, because it’s proper fucking hot, even through Noel’s shades the ground seems to flicker. He’s taking a few men on another group date to the local town where they’ll be shown around all the little sights and shops and what else a little seaside town in Greece has to offer. Normally, he’d be alright with it, not particularly enthusiastic about it but he’d do it without complaining. Today, though, all he wants is to lie down in the last spot of shadow he can find on this hell of an earth and try to bathe in cool beer.  
  
_He_ doesn’t make it better either. The car finally has arrived and just like a few days ago Liam jumps out of it headfirst. Only this time Noel isn’t struggling to believe it, just struggling to believe he really made the choice to have Liam come. He could’ve made him die slowly and lonely in the villa or something, but instead he got him here to make sure his day really stays this bad and with just a little bit of bad luck gets even worse.  
  
Noel waits until all the others have gotten out of the car and then greets them, goes to exchange light hugs with David and Leo, Noah, Mike and Alex. Liam’s stood at the end of the awkward half-circle Noel moves around in and Noel almost just steps back without even looking at him, but Liam comes a step forward instead and gives Noel not a light but a proper heavy hug, arms squeezing his sides and sweaty face pressing against Noel’s neck before he pulls back and grins, “you missed me?”  
  
Noel walks with Mike and David, following the a little too enthusiastic tour guide, and stops himself from overhearing what Liam’s telling the other guys behind him in a poor imitation of the tour guide. After many sweaty stops at some nondescript statues and old shop fronts they finally reach a nice terrace on top of a small hill they had to crawl, no _go_ , up and Noel feels way too relieved at the sight of the small tables and sofas arranged into a chic sitting area under a few sunshades. He invites them all over to sit and get a drink and normally he’d have told everyone to keep their body heat firmly away from him, but he thinks he can take a few more extra degrees to have another fit body press up against him.  
  
He gets Liam pressed up against him. Well, to be fair there’s also Noah on his other side who’s really fucking fit, but sadly doesn’t lean into him half as much as Liam does. He’d really thought that it’d be alright, Liam had kept to himself and the other men and had let Noel roam the streets of the little Greek town without too much harassment, but maybe he’d just been saving his energy for a better opportunity when Noel wouldn’t be preoccupied with pretending to be interested in why this traditional butcher’s shop also sells blue flowers.  
  
Noel shifts in his seat, leans forward to get a drink from the little table in front of him and finds Liam’s arm behind his back when he moves back up. “So, Noah, you ever been to Greece before?”, he asks and turns to him, finally removes his shades and blinks a few times to get used to the sudden light. They talk a bit about family holidays with the other men joining in and Liam lets light fingertips wander over Noel’s back. It tingles, and somehow helps Noel cool down and he shifts awkwardly to keep the movement of Liam’s arm hidden while the conversations continue.  
  
Soon, though, the first man gets up and in front of Noel, holding his hand out for Noel to take and let himself be led away for a private talk. He sits down on a bench under a big, old tree with Mike and listens to him as he tells him how grateful he is to be taken on this group date and how much he looks forward to getting to know Noel more, that is if he gets a rose. He’s easy to talk to and Noel wishes him back when Leo comes over and replaces Mike on the bench. The minutes drag on uncomfortably and Noel almost sighs with relief when the next figure approaches to ask to talk to him alone for a few minutes. He’s so grateful to get rid of Leo that he even gives Liam an honest smile when he sits down next to him.  
  
“So”, Liam says and then doesn’t continue like he expects Noel to know what _so_ is referring to. He sits with an appropriate amount of distance to Noel this time and only his eyes are a little intense. “So”, Noel copies him, “what was all that about then?” He raises his eyebrows at Liam and glances over to the sofa where they’d sat, but Liam doesn’t seem to understand. “What are you on about?”, he asks like Noel’s just presented him with a riddle he’s supposed to figure out. Impatiently Noel makes a gesture that vaguely imitates Liam caressing his back. “You know”, he says, “you getting your hand all over my back? What was that about?”  
  
Liam shrugs and throws him an open glance. “Don’t know, just felt nice, didn’t it? Could’ve stopped me if you didn’t like it.” He sounds a little like those times when he’d tried to convince Noel that he’d been right to eat all of Noel’s chocolates and not leave him anything, but his eyes look like he’s really not thinking anything of it and so that’s that then. So. “So”, Noel says again, “how’s the villa then? Made any friends?” And Liam immediately starts to talk about three things at the same time and Noel actually half-listens, sometimes perks up when Liam mentions Martin.  
  
He gives Liam a little kind head-tilt when the next man comes over to take Liam’s place, and when the time for goodbyes has come it’s him who steps closer to let Liam hug him. Liam’s behaving, only hugs Noel for a second longer than the other men did, then climbs into the car with the others and only looks back at Noel shortly out of the window as the car drives off.  
  
\---  
  
It’s the night of the rose ceremony and Noel is wearing another expensive suit and waiting for the men to arrive in what can vaguely be described as a living room or rather a small hall really. He’s holding a champagne flute and is just about to decide to fuck it and just empty it already when the men finally come in one by one and touch his upper arm or his side and let their cheeks slide against his for more air kisses. He smiles a little wider at Martin and holds him there for a beat longer, steals a look at him walking away while the next man approaches.  
  
Of course it’s Liam, Noel had thought he’d heard his voice chattering loudly while he tried to greet the men. He’s grinning at Noel and wagging his eyebrows, then leans in close and says, “so Martin, yeah?” Noel jerks away from his breath on his ear and rolls his eyes when Liam goes on, “he’s proper fit, isn’t he?” Liam draws back and gives Noel a dirty wink before he skips off. Noel doesn’t look after him, but he can hear him and Martin laughing together while George says something about his shoes to him.  
  
The evening passes by rather quickly, Noel’s trying to get as drunk as he’s allowed, he supposes throwing up over the roses might not be the best TV - or it’d be really good TV, but he’d rather not be part of that. He talks to a lot of men, and if he’s honest many faces still kind of blend together even after he’s seen them on a group date. He remembers Alex’s, though, when he squints at him in a really weird way after he’s done complimenting Noel on his suit and asks, “you seemed really close with your brother yesterday. Was that a kind of goodbye trip for him for when he has to go home tonight?”  
  
Noel looks back at him with a blank look in his eyes and keeps his voice expressionless when he asks back, “what are you on about? Why do you assume he’s going home tonight?” Alex looks at him like Noel personally has just struck him with a lightning and almost chokes on his words when he replies, “sorry, I just thought… You know, he’s your brother, what’s he here for?” Noel gives him a bit of a silent stare before he shrugs casually and says, “I don’t know, really. Maybe ask him that, he came here, right? I haven’t asked him, yet.” Alex’s shoulders slump a little like he can’t quite believe what Noel told him. He clears his throat and answers, “right. That’s… I hope you make the right decision for your heart.” Noel doesn’t know what the fuck he means by that cryptic statement and he’s very relieved to be saved from an answer by Liam and Martin staggering over to where Noel and Alex are sitting on the little sofa.  
  
They’re giggling and clearly more pissed than Noel’s allowed to, shoving each other and mumbling something like _no, you go first_ way too loudly, and Noel can almost understand Alex’s sour expression when he gets up and nods curtly at Noe, saying, “I better get going then, I see.” Martin finally lands in the seat next to him and Noel is almost impressed with how straight he’s sitting with the amount of alcohol that Liam has probably forced into him. He’s smiling at Noel with that calm smile he had on the beach even though Noel just saw him giggling like a five-year-old with his little brother. It’s a bit cute, he supposes.  
  
“Hey”, Noel says and carefully puts his hand on Martin’s knee, so it’s just touching the bone, not yet the soft part where his thigh begins. There’s a cough from out of the shadowy corner Liam must’ve gone to and Martin turns around with a little grin and calls, “fuck off!” He’s sexier than ever. Noel lets his hand go heavier on Martin’s knee when he hears vaguely irritated mumbling answer from the corner and smiles at him. “Not sick of him yet then?”, he asks and nods his head in Liam’s direction.  
  
“No, he’s alright, isn’t he?”, Martin says softly and turns a little so Noel’s hand moves just a little bit higher up his leg and touches his thigh. Noel hums in response, then mumbles, “yeah, I suppose so. How was the rest of your week then?” They talk about everything and nothing and Liam and swimming trunks and suits and Noel wants to tell Liam to fuck off when he comes over after what he apparently deems an appropriate amount of waiting and gestures for Martin to get up and leave. “Go on, mate, my turn now, let me speak to my brother.”  
  
Martin laughs good-naturedly and gets up to make room for Liam. “See you later then”, he says and Noel isn’t sure which one of them he’s addressing. But Liam isn’t even looking at him anymore, his eyes are fixed on Noel and then his hand is on Noel’s leg, just a little higher up than Noel had done with Martin. “How’s your week been then?”, Noel asks like he hasn’t talked to Liam just yesterday, and it seems fair when Liam just ignores his question and says, “you already know who’s getting the sack?”  
  
He sounds a little too confident for Noel’s tastes, so he raises one eyebrow at him and clears his face of emotion when he answers, “might be you, right? Could do with seeing a little less of your mug ‘round here. Reckon I’ll just sack you and keep George instead.” Liam huffs out a laugh and squeezes Noel’s thigh a bit. “So he’s out then, yeah? Fucking boring cunt that one.” Noel rolls his eyes at him, “I can’t tell you that, you idiot. You’ll have to wait and see.” And weirdly enough Liam concedes and doesn’t push further, just blinks at Noel a few times with long, fluttering lashes before he gets up again and leans down close to Noel. “Give me that rose, will ya?”, he says lowly, then walks off and leaves Noel with the next in line.  
  
The time for Noel to go up to his little decision making room comes soon after and he’s a bit relieved to get away from the always a little too similar conversations. There isn’t a lot of decision making going on if Noel’s honest, he’s already quite sure which men he wants out, and not before long he’s on his way downstairs again where the men are nervously waiting for him.  
  
“Thank you for this evening”, he begins his mini speech and then says a few things about being happy about having gotten to know all of them a little better and really enjoying the time with them and some other things, and then picks up the first rose. “Right”, he says, “the first rose is for someone who seems to be a lot of fun and doesn’t look to bad on the beach either. I hope you’ll accept this rose, Harry.” He exchanges hugs and air kisses with Harry and then gives the next rose to Martin.  
  
The other roses fly by, but somewhere in the middle he gets out one that again feels like someone’s forgotten to pluck the thorns off, and he twiddles it between his fingers before he asks Liam if he wants to have it. Liam’s smile might be brighter than the chandelier hanging above Noel’s head and he’s almost sure he can feel the spot where Liam’s dimple is when he presses his cheek against his during their hug. In the end he sends home George, Leo and Alex and smiles at them politely even when Alex gives him a dark look.  
  
He doesn’t stay long afterwards, even though he’s really in the mood to get drunk with a bunch of relieved men, but leaving early seems to be one of the few bad things about being the bachelor.  
  
_“I don’t know what’s up with that”, Alex says and roughly shrugs his shoulders, “I think he’s a nice bloke, it just doesn’t seem to fit. Which is alright, happens, right? Just not so sure about Liam.” He shifts, looking a little uncomfortable, “Like why does he kick someone out for his brother, doesn’t make sense to me. Course it’s not my business and that, but seems a little odd. Maybe shouldn’t have become the bachelor if he needs his brother there to help him. Or, you know, if he’s already got what he wants at home…” He throws one last glance at the camera before he shrugs again and walks off.  
  
“Yeah, I’ve got another one”, Liam says and holds his rose out for the camera to see. There’s pride sparkling in his eyes. “Course he gave me one, what would he do without me? Need a pretty face like me, don’t you?” He pulls a face at the camera, then twirls the rose between his fingers at maddening speed and abruptly stops when a petal falls off and lands on his shirt. He picks it up with clumsy fingers, looks at it, puts it down on his thigh and nods at someone behind the camera. “Yeah, course I hope he’ll take me on one of them dates. Can’t blame me for wanting to have a nice dinner with my brother, right?”  
  
Noel’s eyes are fixed on the camera. “Yeah, it was a good evening. A good week. I’m excited for the next one, though, think that’s going to be even better.” He squeezes his bottom lip between his fingers before he continues, “I think all of them are great now, everyone could be it in the end, you know? I don’t know about favourites.” His eyebrows draw together and he breaks out in a little laugh as he says, “what? Liam my favourite? He’d like that, the little cunt. I’m not sure about that.”_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well look who finally got his shit together and finished the next chapter only months later! I'm very sorry for the long wait and hope the next chapter won't take as long to write, because it definitely will get written - as you can maybe see from the now set amount of chapters I have formed some sort of plan for how this is going to go (which *little glance behind the scenes* includes fun stuff like me trying to do math like 'well, 16 men minus 3 obviously equals ...12?') and am dead set on finishing this.
> 
> Part of this chapter is inspired by [this picture of Noel](https://64.media.tumblr.com/9ed919d887036c50647306529f0baf36/727f75c0b741cb3f-b2/s500x750/9e6bc9350d38ed103522befc846534ceaf566ec8.jpg) which I am only slightly obsessed with.
> 
> I think this chapter can be summed up pretty much as more crack, unabashed thirst for Noel, and a few kisses.

It’s not even noon yet, but already the sun is shining with a vigour that seems to have scared off any cloud brave enough to come out in the Greek summer heat. The leather of the seats in the convertible Noel is currently driving to the men’s villa seems to be doing its best to melt together with the sticky skin of Noel’s thighs. Fucking shorts, he’d known they were a bad idea the minute he’d put them on, but the producers had been quite clear about appreciating a little more _openness,_ and who is Noel to deny the hoards of viewers apparently starving for a few more glimpses of his thighs.  
  
At least the wind is blowing nicely in his face and cooling him down a little, so Noel arrives not yet fully melted at the villa where Charlie is already waiting for him at the gate. He must have received Noel’s video message asking him on a one-on-one date about a little less than an hour ago, and Noel is quite impressed with how he managed to style himself in that amount of time; he’s looking good, effortlessly tousled hair and shorts that make Noel understand why he was asked to wear some.  
  
“Alright?” he calls out, then proceeds to get out of the car and come over to Charlie who’s first eyeing the car with an excited gleam in his eyes, then Noel and the little strip of chest he’s showing off where he left a few buttons open.   
  
“Hey”, Charlie says and goes in for a hug, presses his own chest against Noel’s and then a little kiss to his cheek. He’s grinning at Noel cheekily when he draws back, and Noel feels a little satisfied tingle in his stomach. This is going to be good.  
  
He pushes the keys into Charlie’s hand, letting his fingers linger there for just a second too long, and says, “you alright to drive? Can’t really be arsed to, and besides, gotta enjoy the view, don’t I?” He winks at Charlie and grins when he can see the faintest trace of a blush colouring his cheeks.  
  
The view doesn’t disappoint; Noel unabashedly watches the muscles in Charlie’s arm work as he turns the key, switches to first gear and then second while he elegantly starts the car and they roll off. They’re meant to drive along the coast for a while, enjoy the breeze blowing over from the sea and make conversation ranging from pleasant chatter about the beauty of Greece in the summer to potential childhood traumas. And Charlie is really good to talk to, doesn’t take himself too seriously, and even manages to present his sob story about how his dad left the family in a way that doesn’t make Noel want to roll his eyes.  
  
When they finally reach a little lookout spot where a picnic’s been prepared for them, Noel is congratulating himself on taking Charlie with him. He makes a show of helping Noel out of the car, and Noel finds himself genuinely laughing at his efforts.   
  
There’s a big kind of sofa on the grass with lots of room to lie back on and a little table with all sorts of snacks and drinks in front of. Charlie sits down close to Noel, their knees brushing just a little, and when Noel leans forward to get them both a drink he presses his knee against Charlie’s just a little more.   
  
They get tipsy fast (apparently there’s someone taking them back after, so it’s really okay to get just a little pissed, Noel’s been assured quite emphatically), and closer, too. Charlie’s really pretty, Noel finds, his eyes sparkle deep blue as his cheeks tint rosy from the alcohol, and his dark hair looks really soft, like Noel might like threading his fingers through it.   
  
Soon, they stretch out longer on the sofa, lay back comfortably and when Charlie begins to snuggle up against Noel’s side, Noel pulls him in closer. He’s not too heavy on Noel’s arm and not too warm with the sun still shining down on them, either, just feels good next to Noel in his arm, and Noel likes the way Charlie’s voice takes on a raspy sound when he turns his head and their mouths suddenly are so close together.  
  
“And that’s why my mum never eats lasagne”, Charlie finishes his story, his eyes dark and fixed on Noel’s. Noel can feel his breath warm on his mouth.  
  
“Is that so”, he says lowly, and moves closer when Charlie sucks in a sharp breath. His lashes are fluttering, and the look he’s giving Noel from below his eyelids makes Noel’s guts tighten with anticipation. He can actually feel his heart beating a little too fast when he takes away the last bit of space left between them and covers Charlie’s waiting mouth with his.  
  
It’s a little awkward for a few moments before their lips slot together just right, and Charlie props himself up on his arm a bit and the angle becomes a whole lot better. And then it turns a little too dirty for this time of the day fast. It’s not like Noel had expected anything less from Charlie with his cheeky stories and clever glances at Noel, but still the way he slides his tongue against Noel’s makes him gasp just the tiniest bit.  
  
It’s not like this is really going anywhere; Noel’s definitely not going to dry hump someone on television, but a few wandering hands should be alright, he thinks, as he slides his hand into Charlie’s hair and in turn lets Charlie explore his chest a little. He’s a really good kisser, not too sloppy, not too mechanical, just the right rhythm to make Noel wonder if he could hold it in not too different circumstances as well. But that’s skipping too far ahead, for now Noel has to softly push Charlie away to keep himself from forgetting his good intentions and getting a little too carried away.  
  
They’re both breathing heavily when they separate, faces still close enough together that Noel can almost still taste the inside of Charlie’s mouth in this deep post-kiss-stare when you’re not sure yet why you even separated _._ Charlie breaks it with a mischievous grin, saying a little too loudly into the heavy air, “well, that was nice.”  
  
He stretches out long on his back, content like a cat, and it’s easy and comfortable to laugh with him, coax him into another little peck, and have some more to drink.  
  
_Noel sits leaned back, hands relaxed on top of his thighs that have fallen open wide on the chair. “That was a pretty good date, I’d say”, he says, giving the camera a sly smile. “Charlie’s top really, and fucking fit as well. A good kisser. I’m going to have to get him for another date sometime, I wouldn’t mind repeating that.” He tilts his head to the side a little then and shrugs, “yeah, I suppose that was the first kiss here. But I don’t think that has to mean much; that’s just the way it happened, no ‘deeper meaning’ behind it or anything. I’m hardly proposing to him after one kiss, d’you know what I mean?”_ _  
__  
__Charlie’s grinning widely at the camera, immediately begins to speak, “it was a great date, I got the first kiss! I mean, I was really happy when he asked me on the one-on-one date but I wouldn’t have thought that that would happen already. It was really great, really nice, I definitely hope I get the chance to do that again.” He leans back in his chair a little before he continues. “Now I only have to worry about all the others kissing him, too”, he says and laughs. “No, I mean I know where I am, he’s going to kiss other blokes as well … I just hope he only kisses the ones worthy of it if you know what I mean.”_  
  
\---  
  
Charlie returns to the villa right when the shadows start to take on a pleasant length again. Most men are gathered around the pool or inside of it, exercising or just talking, splashing around and sunbathing. Loud cheers erupt when Charlie comes out on the patio, waving at his mates, and soon he’s crowded by many curious faces telling him to spill just about every single detail.  
  
“Alright, alright”, Charlie agrees with a big smile, turning from one face to the next. “We went on a drive - really fucking nice car - anyway, so we’re talking, and he’s looking at me, and I’m looking at him - or at the road, mind - and I’m thinking, that’s good, yeah? So then we get to this lookout spot and there’s a picnic and this really big sofa where we go sit and drink and talk. He’s so easy to talk to, right? Anyway, we’re talking and I’m telling him this story and he’s coming closer and closer, and then he just kisses me.”   
  
A little turmoil breaks out, men are bumping into each other with excitement, outrage, jealousy, burning questions. “How was it?”, David asks, and “was there tongue?”, Lucas wants to know, and “is he good?”, Harry asks, and “how long did it last?”, Jackson demands.  
  
Charlie’s grinning widely, waving his arms about a little to calm everybody down to a volume that’ll let him be heard. “Wasn’t too long”, he says when he deems it quiet enough, “but there _was_ tongue and he knows how to use it, is all I’m gonna say. It was really nice.”  
  
When it becomes clear that that’s really all he’s going to reveal to the masses, more eager chatter breaks out, declarations everywhere about what that _first kiss_ means.   
  
Then, Liam’s voice cuts through the general noise. “Well, I’ve already kissed him once, so I’m not that bothered”, he announces, shrugging and pulling a face that speaks of utter boredom. And all at once the crowd of sensation-hungry faces is surrounding him.  
  
Charlie looks like he’s just been pushed into cold water, but his mate Tim speaks up. “You’ve _kissed_ him?”, he asks, the faces around him clearly showing he’s speaking everybody’s mind.   
  
“Calm the fuck down”, Liam grumbles, but there’s a muscle twitching left to his mouth like he wants to break out into a huge grin. “Course I’ve kissed him. You try it, don’t you? Nothing much to it.”  
  
“What do you mean ‘nothing much to it?’”, Tim asks, and Charlie continues for him, voice tinged with annoyance, almost anger, “and what do you mean ‘you try it.’ I haven’t kissed my brother.”  
  
“Well, that’s not my problem, is it? Maybe should have, wouldn’t have a stick so far up your arse now”, Liam retorts, now clearly fired up himself. He’s leaning forward, looks like he’s about to start running, ready to headbutt someone, but then Martin steps forward and touches his shoulder.  
  
“Alright then”, he says loudly enough to drown out Charlie’s angry answer. “Maybe let’s not go there, right? I’m happy your date went that well, Charlie. Liam, why don’t we go get a beer, yeah?”  
  
Liam stays frozen in his tense almost-attack-position for a few drawn out moments before his body relaxes and he leans back and turns around to Martin. “Alright”, he says, “fucking let’s get pissed.” His arm bumps into Martin’s over and over again as they walk over to the house, and after only a few steps he’s talking animatedly and laughing happily as ever with Martin nodding along and throwing in one or two comments that make Liam crack up even more.  
  
\---  
  
Noel is twisting around in a chair in front of one of the mirrors in the makeup studio he’s in, waiting for the men to arrive for the next group date. They’re going to get manicures or something like that, Noel didn’t listen too carefully when he was told what today would be all about; he’d been too busy thinking about if he should get in the pool before dinner or after, and if he should maybe - just for fun - start to rub it more into Liam’s face that he had a villa all to himself while Liam was left to share a room with probably three or four other blokes.  
  
When Noel hears loud voices from outside he gets up and tugs at his clothes until he’s satisfied enough with the way they sit on his body. It doesn’t take long until the room is filled with loud chatter and laughter and men eager to hug Noel just a little too tightly and compliment him on how good he looks in his blue shirt. Noel takes his time repaying every compliment, lets his hand linger for a moment too long on Max’s and Lewis’s backs; Nico gets an appreciative once-over that leaves him faintly blushing; he tells Sam how good-looking he is with his hair like that, and Toby how handsome he looks in this shirt.   
  
Liam doesn’t tell him how fit he looks, but he slowly slides his hand over Noel’s back and breathes onto his neck until goose bumps rise on Noel’s arms. “Hi”, he says against Noel’s ear and grins widely when he pulls back.  
  
Noel coughs. “Yeah, hello, Liam”, he replies, going for almost formal to make up for...whatever. He pushes him away then and goes to stand in front of the group of men patiently waiting for him to reveal what’s going to happen now. Thankfully, a little assistant comes to whisper something in his ear before he has to admit that he’s about as clueless as them, or worse, has to start making shit up.  
  
“I’m glad to see you all here today”, he begins, giving everyone a wide smile. “I thought we’d take some time to relax together, chat over getting our nails done and see who’s going to look the prettiest.” He wags his fingers through the air and flutters his lashes exaggeratedly, giving everyone a cute look, then walks over to one of the seats where women in pretty uniforms are already waiting, and waits to see who’s fast enough to get one of the seats next to him.  
  
Of course it’s Liam. Well, and Sam. Liam leans over to him and nudges his hand against Noel’s arm. “So you needed your nails done and forced all of us to come with you?”, he asks, grinning with that annoying teasing glint in his eyes.  
  
“Shut-”, Noel begins to tell him off, but gets interrupted by Toby who’s now also leaning in from next to Liam.   
  
“I think manicures are a lot of fun, what’s there to say against having nice nails?”, he says pointedly.   
  
Liam rolls his eyes and Noel can see that he’s probably about to give Toby a piece of his mind, so he puts a polite smile on his face and says, “well, to be fair, I’ve never had one before either. Not sure what this is all about, but it might be a laugh, who knows.”  
  
Toby looks a bit annoyed and Liam a bit too pleased at his words, and now Noel is in the mood to roll his eyes. If people didn’t interrupt him and let him deal with his brother, no one would have to get offended over opinions on manicures. At least Sam next to him doesn’t seem to have any strong opinions on the subject matter and tells Noel a joke that makes him laugh despite his anger.  
  
And soon, there’s a conversation going on with almost everybody involved that would likely make Noel forget about this annoying interlude if it weren’t for Liam sulkily huffing at every joke or somewhat witty remark. By the fourth time Noel is honestly ready to fucking slap him if he weren’t in the midst of the process of getting his nails filed and preferred to not get that file anywhere near his skin.   
  
So instead he just gives Liam a sharp look and says, “you can leave if you hate getting a manicure _for free,_ might I add, so much.” He can practically feel the collective intake and holding of breath from the other men at his words, and has to hide a satisfied grin behind a grim look. Something about telling Liam off in front of other people always gets his blood rushing through his veins deliciously fast with the thrill of it.  
  
He can tell from the tension in the room that the others probably expect Liam to make a huge scene, maybe give Noel a slap himself - they seem to know him well enough already. But Liam doesn’t do any of that sort, instead surprises them and Noel himself by staying calmly in his seat and then even grinning at Noel.   
  
“Just think it’s a bit boring, this is a makeup place after all, yeah? Should get our faces done instead of our nails”, he proclaims grandly like he’s just had a real stroke of genius.  
  
“Well, you can get your face done if you want”, Noel says slowly, then lets a grin slip on his face with all the men’s attention expectantly on him. “Would fit you, you fucking drama queen. Gonna finally look like one for everyone to see.”  
  
“Exactly”, Liam nods, looking very content with himself, and now Sam is leaning in close to Noel to look at his brother and give him a grin.  
  
“That’s a fab idea”, he says, “you should try a blue eye shadow, would suit you. At least that’s what my sister would probably say - she’s been using me to practice for her makeup artist exam for months now, I know far too much about makeup now.”  
  
“Sounds good, I suppose”, Liam says like he’s pondering on serious business and not how deep into drag he should venture, and tilts his head to take a closer look at Sam. “What colour for the lips, d’you reckon? Something shiny, yeah?”  
  
Sam nods enthusiastically, and before Noel can find a charming way to throw something mean at Liam, Liam’s already in the process of letting a girl clip his hair back so she has room to smear all these brightly coloured things from her little bag in his face.   
  
Liam is preening under the attention of the men watching and the girl complimenting his great skin and just about every feature, and even though Noel has to admit that the eyeshadow on Liam is quite a sight, he feels more like giving Liam his own personal kind of eyeshadow than complimenting him on it. He gives Liam a glare when their eyes meet, but Liam only grins at him so widely a little stain of lipstick on his teeth flashes at Noel.   
  
“You could use some, too, Noel, don’t you think?”, he says and immediately gets drowned out by loud agreement, eager _come on, Noel’s_ echoing all across the room, and who is Noel to deny a bunch of pretty men who want to see him in makeup? If his eyes catch on Liam’s blood-red stained grin for a second before he finally agrees, that doesn’t have to mean anything; it’s just good to see what his brother’s up to before he lets himself be put in such a delicate position of letting people with sharp pencils poke around his eyes.  
  
It turns out to be not even half bad: it’s kind of nice to have someone’s soft hands stroking through your face and paying attention to you, and yeah, maybe he also likes the way the men are arguing over which colours will bring out his eyes best while staring at his face. In the end, everyone seems to agree on a sparkling dark blue for eyeshadow and that Noel will have to suffer through getting proper eyeliner.   
  
Max offers to hold his hand through the procedure, comes up at his side and basically strokes his entire arm, his biceps, and then Sam also starts playing with his fingers on his other side, and suddenly getting his eyes potentially stabbed out doesn’t feel as bad anymore, especially not when he catches Liam glaring at him from behind a big brush powdering his nose.   
  
He gets his lips painted a dark red, his lashes coated in shiny black mascara, and kind of feels like a rich, French hooker when he blinks at himself in the mirror when he’s done. It’s a bitf impressive really; Noel at least wouldn’t mind paying a couple bucks more for lips like that wrapped around his cock.  
  
“Give us a show!”, Liam hollers out of a final cloud of powder, now apparently all finished himself (he’s looking good, Noel has to admit; the men whose eyes take a little longer to return back to Noel seem to think so, too). And well, as Noel said, who is he to deny some pretty men who want him to blow a few lipstick-kisses?  
  
He tilts his head coquettishly, puts on a pretend-shy smile and claps his heavy eyelids exaggeratedly at every hungry eye he catches sight of. It’s a fucking riot. Even when Liam climbs out of his chair and comes up behind him, puts his chin on Noel’s shoulder and presses his own makeup-covered face to Noel’s until it feels like their skin might melt together through the sticky makeup.  
  
“Look at us, fucking prettiest pair of sisters there ever was, right?”, Liam crows, and this time, everyone joins in laughing when usually the mention of their relation makes the air a little tense. It’s a nice change, maybe Noel should consider putting either of them in drag a little more often. Preferably Liam, though, Noel really doesn’t need that much stuff smeared in his face. And admittedly, Liam kind of makes the better sister out of the two of them, but Noel’s been saying that for a long time already.  
  
The rest of the date passes by quickly; there are a few snacks a little while later and more men getting a little handsy, one moment where Noel almost thinks about just fucking group date ettiquette and allowing Sam a taste of his lipstick, before then Liam’s lipstick appears in his peripheral vision and he settles for just pressing his against a glass of wine.  
  
The date ends just when Noel’s face begins to itch, and a little exhausted, he bids everyone farewell, sharing hugs and lingering hands on lower backs and grinning at Liam, “don’t let any of them knock you up, yeah?”  
  
_“You_ don’t let any of them knock you up”, Liam doesn’t grin back, but says fiercely enough to make Noel’s breath catch in his throat a little before he can roll his eyes and wave him away with a little _yeah, yeah, whatever._  
  
The rest of Noel’s afternoon and evening is spent wondering if he really got all of the makeup off and it isn’t slowly seeping through his pores and into his bloodstream or whatever stuff like that does, and thinking about hands playing with his hands, deep laughter and light compliments, makeup-heavy eyes blinking into his.   
  
He’s thinking about tomorrow, though, too.  
  
_Toby shifts in his seat, adjusts a few strands of his hair, finally looks at the camera. “It was an interesting afternoon for sure”, he says, his lips forming into a small smile. “I do enjoy a good manicure, but maybe it’s not for everyone. I don’t know.” He pauses and waits for a bit before he continues. “I did think Noel looked good with a bit of makeup, but I’m not so sure about Liam. I mean, I don’t think I looked at him for long enough to really judge; I’m not really close with him.”_ _  
__  
__There are a few traces of glitter and blue still around Liam’s eyes that wrinkle up as he grins at the camera. “I had a great time, yeah”, he says. “And I think Noel did, too, helped him not be so uptight all the time, right? I think he liked the way I looked - he probably thinks I don’t see him looking but I do. He liked it.” He tries to rub some leftover eyeshadow off, then continues, “I thought it suited him as well … He is fit, isn’t he?”_ _  
__  
__“I enjoyed this date a lot”, Sam says with an open smile at the camera. “Just a lot of banter, which is always fun, and then I also got to hold Noel’s hand for a bit, which was really nice. He’s got good hands, pretty fingers. He spent a lot of time talking to his brother, I thought, though.” He breaks off for a moment, looks somewhere off to the side before he adds, “but I like Liam of course, so like, why not, I guess … I just hope I get to go on another date with Noel soon.”_  
  
\---  
  
To be completely honest, it takes Noel a couple moments until he remembers the name to the face next to Martin’s as they get into the hot-air balloon. He remembers having to pick someone else out to join him alongside Martin on this weird little ‘adventure’ date or whatever the production guys described it as to him, but he’s seriously blanking at the moment. For a moment, he considers asking Martin discretely for the name before it starts to feel too awkward, but there’s kind of not really a way to do it discretely when the face is only about half a metre away.   
  
Jackson, it finally hits him when they’re a couple of metres into the air and he recalls pointing at his picture, going _yeah, what about him?_ and someone telling him, _sure, that’s Jackson. Better learn his name until the date._ Well, he remembers it now, doesn’t he? Not that he’s using it much; it’s becoming more and more of an afterthought with Martin next to him, holding his nose out into the wind.  
  
“So I heard you went full drag queen yesterday, yeah?”, Martin says, still mostly turned into the wind but with a subtle smile and a quick glance at Noel.  
  
“You heard about that then?”, Noel asks back with a little smile of his own.  
  
“Yeah, had to keep Liam from smearing about ten pounds of makeup on my clothes. Wish I’d seen it in its full glory though”, Martin answers.  
  
“What, him or me?”, Noel asks, lips a bit tight, giving Martin a look.  
  
“You of course”, Martin replies easily, “don’t need any more impressions of Liam with lipstick smeared around his mouth; that really was enough. You, though, bet you’d make the prettier Gallagher sister.” He turns around to Noel fully and grins in a way that makes Noel’s eyes linger on his mouth for a bit too long.  
  
“For sure”, Jackson says somewhere from behind them and Martin winks at him, but Noel’s not really in the mood to turn around to him. He’s got to, though, bachelor duties and all that, and at least it gives him an excuse to lean closer to Martin and let their arms press together.  
  
“How are you holding up with him anyway?”, Noel asks Martin. “You some kind of best mates or what?”  
  
Martin shrugs a little, then nods. “Something like that, I guess. He’s fun to be around, isn’t he?”  
  
“When he isn’t being the world’s biggest cunt at the moment, you mean”, Noel says and raises an eyebrow at Martin.  
  
Jackson chuckles lightly. Martin shifts a little so he can see a bit more of the landscape flying by underneath them before he says, “well, even then - you can’t really be mad at him, can you? He’s a good lad.”  
  
Noel shakes his head incredulously, but his smile doesn’t slip off his face when he answers, “are you a saint or what? Everybody gets mad at him, probably a law of nature, that.”  
  
“Guess I am”, Martin shrugs, then winks at Noel. “He makes up for it with his looks, though, doesn’t he.”  
  
“Yeah, he does”, Noel agrees and sighs exhaustedly, like he’s really just got done being mad at Liam, soothed only by his pretty face. Jackson is coughing a little like he’s choking on something and Noel considers offering him some of the wine they’ve packed somewhere but then decides that it’s too much effort. Who even knows if it’s okay to drink wine this high up in the air, right?  
  
“You alright, mate?”, Martin steps in for Noel and gives Jackson a friendly pat on the back. It gives Noel a little time to take a look at how his arms look in this shirt and how his eyes take on a genuinely sympathetic shimmer. God, it’s a nice view up here.  
  
Martin grins at Noel a little while Jackson works through his last coughing fit and Noel just has to grin back. They continue to fly in relative silence for a little while after that, Martin back next to Noel with their arms comfortably brushing against each other, before Noel remembers that he has to entertain the TV audience, make conversation or initiate a little sky-threesome (or just a regular shag with Martin. Surely Jackson can be instructed to turn around and look at some cows on the ground).  
  
“Has Liam already told you the story of how he got that scar over his knee? I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, right?”, he asks and suppresses an eye roll when Jackson looks like he wants to start another coughing fit.   
  
“No, he hasn’t”, Martin says, and Noel really likes the gleeful glint in his eyes when he leans in closer and asks, “what, is it embarrassing?”  
  
“That’s an understatement”, Noel says drily and gives Martin a conspiratorially mean grin. “So he had these girls over that he supposedly was going to have a threesome with - a threesome! Liam! He can barely take care of one other person, can you imagine him trying to do two birds at once? - anyway, he has them over and they take it up to the bedroom - and _my_ bed by the way, the fucking cunt! -” He gets interrupted by Jackson somewhat shakily asking if there’s something to drink and figures he can’t just hold out on the wine, he’s not cruel or anything, thank you very much.  
  
After Jackson’s busy getting drunk, Noel continues and finds that he really likes how good of a listener Martin is, laughing and pulling disgusted faces in all the right places and coming even closer until Noel may not be that good of a storyteller anymore. But he makes it to the end and is very content with the way Martin’s a little flushed with laughter - and even Jackson has a faint smile painted on his face.   
  
The hot-air balloon ride doesn’t go on for much longer after that, but Noel’s still a little exhausted when they land in a field and get into their respective cars to be taken back to their respective villas. Exhausted in a good way, though. He can’t get his smile off his face for the entire ride back.  
  
_“To be quite honest, I have no idea what the fuck that just was”, Jackson says, frowning deeply at the camera. “Like, I feel like he just talked to Martin the entire time - which, good for him, I guess, but then all they did was talk about his brother? I mean, come on, what’s that all about?!” His shoulders fall a little as he listens to someone behind the camera. “No, of course, they can talk about whatever they like, that’s … none of my business, I guess. He’s probably just not that into me.”_ _  
__  
__Martin’s smiling at the camera happily as he says, “I had a great time today. I’ve always wanted to take a ride in a hot-air balloon and doing it together with Noel made it even better. He’s a lot of fun.” He tilts his head a little and his smile becomes a bit more crooked. “I also can’t wait to tease Liam with that story Noel told me about him, that’s fucking great stuff. He’s going to go mad.”_ _  
__  
_ \--- _  
__  
_ The third rose ceremony rolls around fast. Another suit that feels like it’s painted onto Noel in all the right places, another glass of champagne that Noel has to admit he’s kind of slowly getting used to, and the same row of men coming in to greet him (well, except of course a few less men than last time). He gets through most of them fast, only gets hung up a little on Sam smiling at him in a way that lets Noel’s hand linger a bit longer on his back as he says hello, on Charlie giving him a somewhat dirty wink that makes Noel consider taking him to look for a secluded spot later on, and on Martin hugging him with sure arms in a way that has Noel feeling like maybe the potential secluded spot could be reserved for Martin.   
  
Liam makes a rather quick appearance, seeming a little distracted; he plants a kiss only a couple centimetres away from Noel’s mouth on his cheek before Noel can push him away and proceeds to turn his head wildly until his eyes settle firmly on Charlie. Fucking weird kid. It makes greeting the rest of the men pass by far more quickly, though; it’s a blur of faces and _hi, what’s up’s_ while Noel tries to discreetly feel if Liam’s spit is still on his face and not zone out too much when that requires remembering the exact spot where Liam’s mouth pressed into his skin.  
  
After he’s done welcoming everybody, the evening unfolds as usual: sober turns to tipsy walks up to drunk while Noel lets himself be led to different little benches and hiding spots in and outside of the villa to have mildly up to almost entertaining conversations. It changes a little when Sam comes up to him and steals him away from Mike to get some of those fruity-looking drinks and show that he can hold a conversation without throwing in a few pinches of his childhood traumas. Noel finds that he really doesn’t mind talking to him for longer than just a minute and tries to pin a mental note somewhere that he should probably take him on another date next week. He’s even a little disappointed when the next man finds them, but only until he realises it’s Charlie.   
  
“Alright?”, he grins at him after Sam’s left with a little smile that Noel might think about a little more later. Charlie sits down next to him, close enough for their thighs to rub against each other, and grins back at him.  
  
“So how’ve you been?”, he asks and doesn’t add _since you kissed me,_ but it still hangs in the air and makes Noel’s breathing go a little faster with a sharp sting of arousal.   
  
“Good”, he answers, “you’ve probably heard about the makeup escapades. How are you? Everything alright back in the villa?”  
  
“Yeah, I’m good”, Charlie nods and lets his leg press into Noel’s a little more. “And yeah, I saw Liam coming back from that - how did you even get that makeup on him? I didn’t take him for a bloke who’d do something like that”, he says and gives Noel a curious look.  
  
“Oh, he was all for it once he realised he could one-up the guys who were into the manicures with that”, Noel explains with a little shrug of his shoulders.   
  
“Oh, okay”, Charlie says, then adds, “so he wanted to impress you or what?”  
  
“Well, I guess”, Noel answers slowly.  
  
“Right”, Charlie says. “You know, I think he really didn’t like that you kissed me. Got a bit weird when I told the guys about it.”  
  
“Oh, did he?”, Noel asks, shifting a bit so he can see Charlie better, making his hand brush against Charlie’s thigh in the process. “Yeah, he’s a jealous bastard. Little cunt”, he says.  
  
“You think he’s jealous?”, Charlie asks, “he told us he’d kissed you one time, you know?”  
  
“Well, that’s how Liam is. Nowt doing about it”, Noel replies, and Charlie raises his eyebrows but doesn’t say anything. “You look really fit in your suit”, Noel tells him then, and a few blinks of both their eyes later Charlie’s hand is resting on Noel’s thigh and they’re talking about where one might want to travel together if one were to end up as a couple.  
  
Noel can see a little disappointment in Charlie’s eyes when John comes along to talk to Noel for a bit, and Noel also kind of wants to tell John to wait at least until he’s kissed Charlie again, but manages to do the polite thing and tell Charlie “see you later” as he goes over to some other chairs to sit and chat with John.  
  
It’s not all that bad; Noel likes John and his sharp humour, he makes him laugh a couple of times and time flies by rather quickly until Martin comes along, holding his hand out for Noel and asking if he wants to join him for a while.  
  
They find a quiet spot out in the garden in the shadow of a tree where the light of the lanterns doesn’t quite reach, and Noel almost feels a bit embarrassed by the way his heart jumps a little at the way Martin leans next to him against the stem. They talk about this and that, bits and pieces Noel won’t remember much of later because somehow in the dark twilight their bodies seem to gravitate towards each other, their hands bumping together until Martin laughs and takes Noel’s hand in his, almost like when he helped him up from his chair with John, only now he laces their fingers together and gives Noel a look that almost makes him feel like on his first date ever. Nervous, and so excited, and butterflies everywhere in his stomach.  
  
Their voices grow lower and breathier, and that means they have to get even closer together, and Martin’s bending down a little and Noel’s face is tilting up a little, and then somehow, magically, Martin’s mouth ends up on Noel’s. His free hand comes up to cup Noel’s cheek in this wonderful way, and their lips fit together so, so perfectly, and maybe Martin’s upper lip between Noel’s is heaven.   
  
Maybe Martin’s tongue in Noel’s mouth is heaven. He starts out gentle, kisses Noel like he’s asking him a question before he gets bolder and bolder and coaxes more out of him until they’re trading wet, open-mouthed kisses and Martin finally slides his tongue into Noel’s mouth and lets him suck on it, plays and toys with him in a way that makes Noel’s knees actually go weak.  
  
Martin keeps kissing him until Noel thinks he might be about to give up on his principles and start fucking grinding on him, a quick handjob under a tree surely will hold up as classy in TV court, right? But right before either of them can drop to their knees (what’s there to say against a probably even more classy blowjob on television?), someone very loudly makes their way into the garden, directly into their direction, and has them jumping apart just right when Liam’s face appears out of the shadows.  
  
“There you are”, he calls out, grinning widely and sauntering over to them with stretched out arms like he wants to hug both of them at once. “Been looking for you all over, fucking hell. Left me alone with all them fucking cunts inside”, he says and happily wraps his arm around Martin’s shoulders while giving Noel something he might call a conspiratorial smile.  
  
“Liam”, Noel clears his throat, discretely wipes his mouth. “Can’t you entertain yourself for one fucking moment alone?”, he tries not to ask too harshly so Liam won’t immediately throw a fit in addition to already ruining the moment.  
  
“What, am I interrupting you or something?”, Liam asks, now pulling his eyebrows together shrewdly. “You need Martin alone or what?” He pulls Martin in closer to himself and stares at Noel insistently.  
  
“Well, Liam, that’s kind of how a private talk works, yeah”, Noel answers, still trying hard not to get too angry at Liam and let things escalate. He stares back at Liam, then notices Martin sighing lightly in his peripheral vision.  
  
“Do you want Noel alone for a moment?”, Martin asks, tilting his head down to Liam so they can share a quick glance.   
  
Noel really doesn’t get it, but Liam’s posture seems to soften a little and he doesn’t sound half as on edge as he did just a second ago when he nods at Martin and answers, “yeah, been looking for the cunt all evening.” Noel doesn’t really recall that detail, but he doesn’t say anything, just watches as Martin also wraps one arm around Liam’s shoulders to return his half-hug for a moment before he then slides out of his grip and comes closer to Noel again.  
  
“I’ll see you inside later?”, he asks, his voice suddenly much deeper than it was with Liam. It settles a bit of the upset and anger in Noel’s stomach, and he smiles back at Martin when he touches his arm before he starts to make his way back to the other men.  
  
“So what was that all about?”, Liam asks and comes closer until he’s way up in Noel’s personal space.  
  
“What the fuck are you talking about?”, Noel asks back, “what the fuck are _you_ all about? You do realise I’m here to get to know these men, right? That means I have to spend time with them, _alone.”_  
  
“Yeah, right. But you already know Martin”, Liam returns, now sounding a little less sure of himself, though.   
  
_“You_ seem to know Martin quite well already. That doesn’t mean I know him well enough, though, Liam”, Noel says exhaustedly. “Just - it has to be possible that I spend some time with some men alone, right?”  
  
“I mean I suppose so”, Liam answers hesitantly. “I can give you some … space or whatever.”  
  
“Right, thank you”, Noel says, relieved.  
  
“So what were you two doing out here?”, Liam asks then, suddenly all confidence and mischief again as he leans in so close to Noel that only a few centimetres separate their faces. “You didn’t fuck, did you?”  
  
“No, of course not, Liam”, Noel says, trying to decide between laughter and annoyance and finally settling on a fond eye roll. “It’s none of your business, actually, how about you just fuck off, yeah?”  
  
Liam shakes his head and grins in a way that makes Noel’s knees go weak again, or no, a weird feeling spread through his stomach. Annoyance, for sure. “I’m not leaving, yet. You’re taking time to get to know all these cunts, take some time to get to know me, alright?”, Liam says, clearly very pleased with himself.  
  
Noel sighs. “You also realise I already know you better than probably anyone else on the entire fucking planet, right? I don’t think I need to make small talk with you to find out what you’re like.”  
  
Liam huffs in annoyance. “Well, then suit yourself, cunt”, he says, a shimmer of hurt shining in his eyes and Noel almost wants to say _alright then, stay for Christ’s sake,_ but before he can do so, there’s something else glistening in Liam’s eyes.   
  
“Or, you know, do with me what you did with Martin, yeah?”, he says, and his hand slides over Noel’s arm, his waist, his hip, and his face is so close, his breath ghosting sweet and warm over Noel’s mouth, and it’s only a few millimetres until … Noel has to go make his decision for the rose ceremony.  
  
He leaves Liam behind under the tree quietly cursing to himself and makes his way back to the villa fast, throwing fleeting smiles at the men he comes across. His fingers are oddly shaky as he wipes his sweaty palms on his trousers, and he only realises he has to calm his way too fast breathing when he’s alone in the room, looking at all the portraits of the men who are still partying downstairs. It’s kind of hard to focus and Noel thinks he loses a few minutes staring a hole into Liam’s photo, but finally some assistant or whatever tells him to _just turn it around if it’s so distracting, for fuck’s sake_ and after that studying the different pictures and pretending to think very hard about his decision for the cameras becomes a bit easier.  
  
Same as last time, it doesn’t take Noel long to make his decision; he’s pretty sure whose faces he doesn’t necessarily need to see again next week, and so it also doesn’t take long until he’s standing next to a vase with roses and in front of all the men expectantly looking at him. As always, he tries to cut his little speech to a minimum and then finally picks up the first rose.  
  
“The first rose is for someone I shared a very enjoyable date with and who’s also a very enjoyable view behind the steering wheel. Charlie, the first rose is for you if you want to accept it”, Noel recites his little line, but gives Charlie an honest smile when he comes to get the rose. He presses a quick kiss to Noel’s cheek and Noel finds himself still smiling when he picks up the next rose.  
  
He waits a bit until he calls up Martin to give him his rose and almost feels a little guilty about making him wait, but Martin doesn’t look too bothered by it when he accepts his rose and hugs Noel with his hand a bit low on his back. “Thank you”, he says into Noel’s ear in that same low voice he used right before they kissed and Noel hugs him a bit tighter in return.  
  
The next rose he gives to Sam and the one after that to Harry, then John and a couple of other men until only four remain, Liam one of them just like in the very first night. He takes a moment to let his gaze wander over their nervous faces, and has to suppress an annoyed eye roll when he finds Liam still mostly relaxed staring at him, only his left hand twitching subtly at his side giving him away.  
  
“Alright then, Liam, come here and get your rose, will you?”, Noel says, twirling the stem between his fingers. Liam’s in front of him fast, at first looking like he doesn’t really know what to do before his fingers warmly cover Noel’s on the rose and he slowly pulls it out of his hand. He leans in then, and for a short moment Noel jerks back before he pulls himself together and ignores the flash of hurt on Liam’s face to pull him into a hug. “Alright?”, he mumbles into Liam’s hair.  
  
“Yeah, course”, Liam replies when they part and thankfully there isn’t any of that hurt left on his face when he smiles at Noel after he pulls back and gets ready to go back to his spot among the other men.   
  
The uncomfortable part of the evening follows immediately after; Noel says goodbye to Tim and Jackson and Toby, who all more or less graciously give him one last hug before they disappear and leave Noel to toast to his leftover candidates before he, too, gets ready to leave for the night.  
  
_“Well, could’ve probably guessed that”, Jackson says. He looks calm and collected, not too shaken up as he continues, “he really seemed to prefer Martin by a long shot. Or his brother. Seems to prefer that dude to a lot of other guys here, I think. Or like, why does he keep sending all of us home and keep him here? It’s … a bit weird.” An unreadable expression flickers over his face. “I wish them good luck, though, with … you know … just good luck.”_ _  
__  
__Noel’s face seems a bit closed off as he faces the camera. “It was a good rose ceremony, I think”, he begins slowly. “Talked to lots of men, and I feel like I know most of them pretty well by now. The next weeks should be exciting.” He shifts like he wants to get out of his seat but then slumps back a little and says, “yeah, I did kiss Martin. It was good, it was nice, I liked it. Only didn’t like getting fucking interrupted by Liam … Little cunt. Don’t know what he was on about, fucking insane little brat. He’s … he’s- you know, he’s just a bit much sometimes ...”_


End file.
